The present invention relates to vacuum cleaners. More particularly, the present invention relates to vacuum cleaners which condition the exhaust air they emit.
Both canister and upright vacuum cleaners are well known in the art. Generally, a filter bag is used to filter the dirt and hold the dirt so as to exhaust relatively clean air back into the environment. After multiple uses of the vacuum cleaner, the filter bag must be replaced.
To avoid the need for vacuum filter bags, and the associated expense and inconvenience of replacing the filter bag, a newer type of vacuum cleaner utilizes cyclonic airflow, a dust cup and one or more filters, rather than a replaceable filter bag, to separate the dirt and other particulates from the suction air stream. Such filters need infrequent replacement.
Bagless vacuum cleaners typically collect the separated dirt in a dust cup or dirt-collecting receptacle while discharging the cleaned air through a grill assembly. However, the cleaned air being discharged may still contain noxious materials and odor, thereby causing them to exhaust along with the cleaned air into the room. In addition, the dirt-collecting receptacle provides a suitable place for various bacteria and viruses to live and breed. Such bacteria and viruses can be released to the room when the dirt collected in the dirt collecting receptacle is empted, thereby further polluting the room.
In order to solve the above described problems, it would be desirable to provide a vacuum cleaner with a means for reducing, if not eliminating, bacteria, viruses and the like. One such means is an ultraviolet (UV) light source which emits radiation powerful enough to destroy bacteria and viruses. Another such means is ozone, which can be created from ambient oxygen by, for example, the UV light source.
Ozone is a gas whose molecules are composed of three bonded oxygen atoms. Ozone is a highly reactive substance, which is used to treat drinking water and swimming pool water, treat industrial waste, and to bleach inorganic products such as clay. Ozone is the second most powerful oxidant after fluorine. It is also a powerful disinfectant which can destroy airborne bacterial and viral contaminants, and which can oxidize chemical contaminants.
It would be desirable to improve conventional vacuum cleaner designs by providing a means for eradicating bacteria, viruses and fungi in the airflow of a vacuum cleaner. It would also be desirable to simplify assembly, improve filtering and improve the disinfection of the dirt held in a dirt-collecting receptacle while maintaining the environment outside of the vacuum cleaner clean of bacteria, noxious materials and odor.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a new and improved vacuum cleaner including a UV light source which overcomes difficulties with the prior art while providing better and more advantageous overall results.